“So, you went on a date?” Jinni teased, patting my back with a smug expression.
“It wasn’t a date,” I replied hastily, though my voice wavered as she raised an eyebrow. I groaned. “Okay, maybe it was, but I don’t know what he thinks. He bought me food, and that’s it.”
“It was definitely a friendly hangout, then,” she remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Before I could defend myself further, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Chae, can we talk?”
I turned around to see Sunwoo standing there, looking as insistent as ever. God, why couldn’t he give me a moment of peace? It was barely ten in the morning, and here he was, already stirring up trouble.
“Wasn’t the drama yesterday enough?” I muttered, though I kept my tone low. My throat still ached from all the shouting.
“Chae, it’s important,” he said, his eyes unusually serious. That alone made me pause.
“Okay,” I said begrudgingly, crossing my arms. “But before that, maybe you owe Jinni an apology, you opportunist.” I jabbed a finger at him, enjoying the way he winced slightly.
“I already did.”
What? My eyes widened in disbelief. Sunwoo? Apologizing? Mind blown.
“Well, good for you,” I said flatly, before following him out of the room.
Once we were alone, he turned to face me, his expression uncharacteristically sincere.
“I said this before, but Niki isn’t good news, Chae,” he began, his voice calm but insistent. “I know I’ve been... less than great, and I realize my mistakes. But you need to know something.”
I frowned, skeptical of his sudden introspection. “What is it?”
“Do you remember yesterday, when Niki said he was going to reveal something before I cut him off?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, though it was more of a rhetorical question—he didn’t wait for my full response before continuing.
“He was going to tell everyone about how I slept with Naeun. But he didn’t know that you already knew about it.”
My jaw clenched at the mention of that incident, but I forced myself to stay composed. “Then why did you cut him off?”
The question seemed to catch him off guard. For a moment, he faltered, his gaze dropping before he answered. “Because I didn’t want the whole school to know. My reputation’s already bad enough.”
“Typical,” I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes at his predictability.
He ignored my jab and pressed on. “But that’s not what I really wanted to talk about. Do you know why Niki beat up Yichen?”
The sudden shift in the conversation made me blink. “No,” I admitted.
“Exactly,” he said, his tone almost triumphant. “Because if you knew, you wouldn’t be as cozy with Niki as you are now. It’s not my place to say what happened, and honestly, I don’t think you should ever know. But I’m telling you, Chae—stay away from him. He’s not a good guy.”
I stared at him, incredulous. “How about no?”
His face tightened at my response, but I wasn’t done.
“You have nothing on him, so you’re making up this whole ridiculous story,” I snapped. “Seriously, you could become a writer with all the fiction you’re spinning. And why the hell should I trust you? You lied to me every single day when we were together—”
“Chae—”
“I’m not done.” My voice was sharp, cutting him off as he tried to interrupt. “And let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you’re telling the truth. Then show me proof. Because otherwise, this is my life, and you don’t get to decide who I talk to or not. Got it?”
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Sunwoo looked like he wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words. I turned to leave, my patience thoroughly worn out, when his voice stopped me.
“Look at yourself,” he said quietly, but there was a bite in his tone. “Why are you trusting him so much, Chae? We’ve known each other for years. I know I ruined what we had, and I know you don’t trust me anymore—but what has he done for you to trust him? Do you even know anything about him?”
I froze, his words striking a nerve I hadn’t anticipated.
“I’m not saying this to hurt you,” he continued, his voice softening slightly. “I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I know I don’t deserve your trust, but... just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He paused, exhaling slowly. “Also, I wanted to apologize. For cheating on you. I know it doesn’t change anything, but...” His voice trailed off, and before I could respond, he turned and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
The silence that followed was suffocating, and despite my anger, his words lingered. Sunwoo was wrong about a lot of things, but what if he wasn’t wrong about this? Shaking the thought from my head, I clenched my fists and forced myself to focus.
No. I wouldn’t let Sunwoo dictate my decisions. Not anymore.
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ooo drama
sunwoo is definitely a hot walking red flag and we actually don't know anything about niki.
